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Staff Spotlight: Brandon Weymouth

Thursday, March 30, 2017

For Financial Management Analyst Brandon Weymouth, keeping the Neurology Department’s finances in good standing--and averting the occasional crisis--is all in a day’s work. In this interview, Weymouth talks about what he enjoys about working at Duke, learning more about our Department fits into the larger entities of the University and Health System, and enjoying traveling and the outdoors in his spare time.

How long have you been at Duke? How did you decide to come here?
I started with Duke and the Neurology Department in January of 2013. I always wanted to work at Duke because a lot of my family worked there and I could really be a small cog in the giant Duke wheel that helps so many different facets of society. Duke is constantly on the cutting edge of research, both medically and throughout the various schools within Duke. Specifically on the medical side of Duke, we see the constant breakthroughs in clinical research that can save lives or possibly cure diseases. I know that I am not “hands-on” with the research but I like to think that the work I do helps support those investigators that are performing the research which make me appreciate my job so much more. I get the privilege of working with some of the smartest individuals in their area of expertise which is amazing!

What are your responsibilities within the Neurology Department? What does your average work day look like?
My roles within the Neurology Department vary widely. My main responsibility is to ensure the financial standing of the Department is compliant to all of the various stakeholders at Duke and other various institutions. A few of my other roles are to assist and coordinate the operational aspects of Neurology (renovations, order major equipment, various other tasks related to all neurology locations); and I also assist Dr. Luedke with a quarterly QI review for all clinical faculty members/apps. An average day for me can change by the hour based on if something critical happens related to our operation! But most of the time it involves analyzing our finances, working on the annual budget and variances related to that budget, and send/review various financial reports. Typically I meet with various faculty members, administrative staff, and other School of Medicine representatives to discuss various items involving Neurology or School Of Medicine initiatives.

You recently completed your certification as a Duke financial manager, where you learned about how the Neurology Department fits within the School of Medicine and broader Duke University Health System. What’s the most surprising or interesting thing you learned about Duke as a whole?
The certification course that I completed helped put into perspective how “big Duke works” (Hospital, University, other Duke “companies”) and how other departments across the university operate. One thing is I learned is that Duke is a very decentralized university which is different than a lot of other institutions. Departments have a lot of freedom in how they operate and each department may have a different way of completing Duke’s mission.

What lesson(s) have you learned about the broader health system that you hope to apply to your work with our Department? What’s one thing that our Department does comparatively well?
One thing our department has consistently done well has been our Clinical Research Unit. A lot of other departments within the School of Medicine have either come to Neurology asking for advice on how their CRU should work or have tried to mimic how our CRU is operationalized.

What passions or hobbies do you have outside of the Department?
I love to be outdoors! Anything that involves hiking or being in the woods is what I call a great day. I enjoy hiking, camping, mountain biking, kayaking, golf, and playing basketball. My wife and I also enjoy traveling so we try to take one major trip a year; as they say “ you only live once!”. I also love craft beer, I enjoy a quality IPA!

Weymouth welcomes a guest to his hotel room during a visit to Costa Rica.